


You Should Start a Support Group

by sanctuary_for_all



Series: Partners [49]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010), MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Crossover, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Feels, I Mostly Wrote This Because I Need It To Happen SOOOOO Badly, I honestly have no idea how to tag this, LetSteveBeInvolvedWithTheCrossovers2018, M/M, My Poor Messed Up Boys, They're All His Old Military Buddies Anyway
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-09
Updated: 2018-05-09
Packaged: 2019-05-04 15:19:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14595900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanctuary_for_all/pseuds/sanctuary_for_all
Summary: Steve McGarrett and Angus MacGyver find out they have something unexpected in common. (Spoilers for the "MacGyver" season 2 finale and Steve McGarrett's whole life)





	You Should Start a Support Group

**Author's Note:**

> I swear that sometime in the last six months I actually said the words "I seriously doubt I'll ever post a crossover fic." Clearly, the fic gods listen to things like that.
> 
> (And if you're a McDanno shipper who hasn't yet entered into MacDalton hell, you should really check it out. Yes, there's a big age gap, but the whole "I want to spend 23 out of 24 hours of every day with this one single person who I have claimed in both a professional and personal manner and have free reign of their house like it's my own" vibe is waaaaaaay similar, up to and including the adoring looks and the whole "we keep throwing women at them both but nothing ever sticks" thing.)
> 
> Addendum: [Timeline fun for Steve and Jack's friendship](http://sanctuaryforalluniverses.tumblr.com/post/173781514096/on-the-topic-of-steve-mcgarrett-and-jack-daltons)

“My purse!”

Steve and Danny’s heads both turned at the sound of the woman shouting, just in time to see the 20-something white kid in a basketball jersey take off running down the street. Steve turned to Danny, who sighed. “Fine. But remember, we’re in L.A., not back home, which means we don’t have special magic 5-0 clearance for dramatically breaking things.” He shifted his grip in Brandon to jab a finger into Steve’s chest. “And if you get anything more serious than mild bruising because of this, you will be facing my wrath.”

Brandon and Grace both shot him matching stern looks, which were matched a second later by Joanie. “ _Our_ wrath,” Grace said, folding her arms across her chest.

Steve gave them all a solemn nod of agreement before taking off in a run after the guy, while behind him he could hear Mary. “You know, the movies never mention how often Superman must interrupt family events to go chase after bad guys.”

“Hey, he actually checked with us first,” Danny replied. “That’s progress.”

Their voices faded as he hurried after the purse snatcher, weaving through the crowds of people on the street. He didn’t even have to worry about knocking people over – the kid was doing it for him, though if he kept running into traffic like that Steve was going to be the least of his worries. He crossed the street more carefully, far more worried about Danny’s reaction than broken bones.

Still, the kid didn’t have the stamina to back up his speed. Steve was gaining on him, enough that the kid was trying to fake him out rather than going faster. He ducked around a corner before trying one last sprint, looking back over his shoulder regularly. Steve sped up, close to closing in….

A leg suddenly shot out from one of the alleyways between the buildings, delivering a solid side-kick that made the kid crumble. A man stepped out of the alleyway, crouching down beside the kid and shaking his head. “This doesn’t match your outfit, and given the way you were running in my direction I’m guessing you took something that didn’t belong to you.” When the kid groaned, he started scanning the area. “Damn it, I usually don’t have to worry about carrying things like handcuffs. I’m sure Mac could jury rig something out of a paperclip, but I’d really rather not wait out here that long if I can help it.”

Steve smiled, not at all surprised by the sudden intervention now that he knew who’d done it. “You Delta boys are never as prepared as you should be,” he called out, pulling a zip tie out of his pocket and heading over. “It’s a tragedy, really.”

Jack Dalton, the most sarcastic troublemaker to ever join the U.S. Army, lifted his head at the sound of Steve’s voice. When their eyes met, he slowly started to grin. “Steve McGarrett.” He accepted the proffered tie, quickly attaching the purse thief to the nearest metal pole before straightening so they could clap each other on the back. “What are you doing out here?”

“My sister lives near here, and my husband and kids came out to visit her with me.” He pulled back. “I’m sorry we missed each other when you were in Hawaii last year.”

Jack shrugged. “We weren’t there long, and you’re a busy man.”

There was another groan from the guy on the ground, and then he started struggling. "Are you assholes really just going to leave me here like this?" 

"Yes," Steve said simply, bending down to deliver a quick, efficient punch designed to knock him out completely. Then he straightened. "You were saying?"

Jack grinned, then caught sight of something over Steve’s shoulder, amusement coloring his expression. “You’ve got an entourage, my man.”

He turned, grinning himself at the sight of his family coming around the corner. The woman whose purse had been stolen was with them, Danny walking next to her and undoubtedly talking in a soothing, supporting manner the whole way. “My family,” he said, turning back to Jack. “The guy up front is my husband, Danny, and both Brandon and Grace, the older girl, are ours. The woman who looks long-suffering is my sister Mary, and the little girl is my niece Joan.”

Jack’s expression warmed even more. “Kono and Chin mentioned the two of you had gotten hitched. Congratulations.”

They headed over to give the woman back her purse, each of them accepting the hug she insisted on giving them. After she’d left, Steve made the introductions. “Everyone, this is Jack Dalton. We worked together sometimes back when I was with the SEALs.”

Danny’s brow lowered. “Wait – aren’t you the guy who kept flirting with Kono when you and your partner came out to work with her and Chin last year?”

Grace’s brow lowered as well. “You know she’s married, right? _Happily_ married.”

Mary looked down at the man on the ground. "I take it no one has thought to call 911 yet?"

Jack opened his mouth to respond to one or all of the comments, then stopped at some signal Steve couldn’t hear. He turned toward a nearby electronics store, where a younger blond man was just walking out. The man stopped, looking around, then caught sight of Jack and hurried over.

“Sorry about the flirting,” Jack said, eyes still on the man. His voice had softened helplessly, suddenly full of a very familiar-sounding affection, and Steve knew what Jack was going to say before he said it. “But it’s good cover when you’re in love with your partner and don’t want him to figure it out.”

Both their expressions softened instantly, and Danny tilted his head in acknowledgement. “Maybe not the route I would have chosen,” he said, smiling a little as he looked over at Steve. “But I can definitely sympathize with the reasoning.”

Mary rolled her eyes. “So _all_ of you stoic military types are really bad at this whole romance thing.”

“Oh, I don’t know if I’d say he’s _bad_ at it.” That was from the blond – Mac, presumably – who grinned at Jack with the same affection on his face before holding a hand out to Steve. “Angus MacGyver. Please, call me Mac.”

He shook Mac’s hand. “Chin and Kono both said good things about you after you worked together.”

“This is the Steve McGarrett I told you about,” Jack added. “This is his husband Danny Williams, Steve’s sister Mary, and their assorted kids.”

“Pleased to meet all of you,” Mac said, shaking everyone’s hand (including Brandon and Joanie’s, even though he had to crouch down to do it). Then, finally, he looked down at the purse snatcher zip-tied to the metal pole. “I thought you said you were going to get a soda,” he said, shooting Jack an exasperated look.

“I was.” Jack’s mock innocent look was also one Steve was very familiar with. “But then I saw this guy running hell for leather up the street and I got distracted. He’d stolen some lady’s purse.”

“This one took off running after him, too,” Danny said, wry amusement all over his face as he gestured to Steve. “Which, I’ll admit, is less annoying when there’s no chance for an actual explosion.”

“Hey,” Jack argued. “I’m usually the one chasing _him_ into dangerous situations. Some weaselly little purse-snatcher doesn’t count.”

Mac winced. “That’s true. The explosions are usually my fault, too.”

Danny leaned forward, interested. “So it’s _not_ the military that makes them crazy?”

Mac sighed. “Actually, I was in the army, too. Just not Special Forces – I was an EOD tech.”

Danny made an exasperated noise. “So is it the _science_ that makes them crazy?”

Steve grinned. “Of course, the real question is who’s crazier – the guy running into danger, or the guy following right behind him shouting?”

While the banter continued, Mary leaned over to Grace. “Is it a good idea to let the four of them become friends,” she murmured, “or a really, _really_ terrible one?”

While the younger kids started a careful game of tag around the adults’ legs, Grace considered this. “I don’t know if it’s possible for Dad and Uncle Steve to get into more trouble than they already do.”

Mary glanced back over at them. “Oh, it’s _always_ possible.”

Danny looked like he was briefly wrestling with the question himself, then gave in. “Listen, if we don’t get these kids to the California Science Center someone’s probably gonna stage a revolt. I know you two probably have to go to work, but if not—” he glanced over at Mary, who looked amused before giving him a nod “—you can come with us if you want.”

Jack hesitated. “About that….” He glanced over at Mac. “I know this is a long shot, but we were kind of wondering if 5-0 had any openings.”

Danny looked surprised. “I thought Chin said you two were working for that foundation. Some kind of government thing.”

It was Jack’s turn to wince. “Not at the moment.”

Steve was immediately sympathetic. Sometimes, he was amazed that everyone at 5-0 had held onto their jobs for as long as they had. “Bosses didn’t like a choice you made out in the field, huh?”

Both Jack and Mac hesitated, looking at each other again. “Actually, it’s more like family problems,” Mac said finally.

“Classified family problems,” Jack added, glancing over at Steve. “Black marker sort of thing.”

Steve knew Jack had probably looked over at him because of their shared history with covert operations, but that wasn’t what made him freeze. Still, he shouldn’t say anything – everything with his mom was like something out of a bad spy novel. There was no way it could be relevant here.

But then he looked over at Mary, who had also gone suspiciously still. She shot him a look that asked him plainer than words whether they should bring it up, but Steve didn’t have an answer for her. Even if it wouldn’t be the weirdest thing these two had ever heard, the truth was that Steve had only told the team because they’d all met her. Did he really want to bring it up in the middle of the street to a complete stranger and a guy he hadn’t seen in 10 years?

Danny, looking back and forth between them both, made the decision for him. “Just out of curiosity,” he asked, lowering his voice as he moved closer to Jack and Mac, “this wouldn’t happen to be the kind of ‘classified family problem’ where a parent disappeared from your life at an early age, only to re-appear much later with the unhappy news that they’ve been a secret agent this whole time and completely missed a whole chunk of your life for ‘reasons’?”

The instant shock on both Mac and Jack’s faces was enough to make Steve’s chest clench. “How in the hell did you guess that?” Jack asked, but it was Mac who was looking at all three of their faces. Seeking some kind of recognition, maybe. Understanding.

Steve and Mary slowly held up their hands as Danny pointed at both of them. “Their mom,” he said simply. “Who, for the record, is a complete asshole.”

Mac swallowed, looking shaken. “My dad,” he said quietly. “And yeah, that’s one way to put it.”

Brandon and Joanie both stopped what they were doing and looked up. “Why is grandma an asshole?” Joanie asked.

“And that sounds like my cue to take these two to go get ice cream,” Grace announced, taking both of their hands in hers.

Danny handed her some cash while Mary blinked like she was just now coming back into the moment. “I should go with you,” she said, turning to Grace.

Danny stopped her with a hand on the arm as the kids walked off together. “No, you shouldn’t. The three of you need to exchange contact information _immediately_ , because you are all going to start a support group for the traumatized children of asshole spies.” He gave both her and Steve a stern look, like he was expecting them to argue. “I have been trying for literally _years_ to figure out a way to help you two process all of the shit your mother put you through, but it’s not like you can take this sort of thing to your average family therapist. Now that we’ve miraculously tripped across someone who actually _is_ qualified to talk about it, and what’s more could also use a sympathetic ear on the exact same topic, you two are _damn_ well going to take advantage of that fact.”

“Same to you,” Jack added, giving Mac a pointed look. Then he turned to Danny, sheer admiration on his face. “I like you. I get the feeling the two of us need to become friends, which means we should also exchange contact information.”

Danny looked amused. “So we can exchange ‘How to keep your idiot from getting himself killed’ tips?”

Jack grinned. “Exactly.”

Steve took a deep breath, looking at Mac. He wondered if it would have made things easier or harder if he’d found out about his mother when he was in his 20s. Then he thought about Danny, and Jack, and realized the age probably mattered far less than who was there to help you through it. “He’s right,” Steve said quietly. “If there’s anyone in the world who’s going to understand what you’re going through right now, it’s the two of us.”

“Yeah,” Mary added. “I don’t do the whole superhero thing like you two, but this is one thing I know more about than I ever wanted to.”

Mac looked back and forth between them, something almost fragile flickering in his expression. “I’m not great at talking about things sometimes.”

Mary actually smiled at that. “Welcome to the club. Steve and I have been trying hard to get better at it, the last few years. You’re welcome to get in on the lessons.”

“Seriously.” Danny’s voice was gentle. “I know classified stuff is a big thing, but there’s a lot of emotional stuff the government isn’t going to give two shits about. The three of you got screwed over, big time, and the chance for a little help putting yourselves back together is the least of what you deserve.”

“They’re right,” Jack added quietly. “You know I’ll talk about anything with you, but my Dad was great. Some things, I’m just never gonna get.”

Finally, Mac took a deep breath. “Yeah.” He nodded, still a little shaky. “That would be good.” He hesitated, then smiled a little. “That offer to follow you to the science center still open? I love that place.”

Steve grinned. “I know, right? The Air and Space exhibits are my favorite.”

Mac’s smile widened. “I was always more into the inventions, but air and space was pretty cool, too.”

Danny made a fake long-suffering sound. “I am _destined_ to be surrounded by nerds.”

Jack grinned. “Pretty great, right?”

Danny’s lips curved as he looked over at Steve. “I’ll admit, I’ve learned to appreciate it.”

(Eventually, they remembered to call 911.)

**Author's Note:**

> Come check out my [original fiction,](https://jennifferwardell.wixsite.com/mybooks) my [blog,](http://jennifferwardell.blogspot.com) or say hi to me on [Tumblr](http://sanctuaryforalluniverses.tumblr.com)!


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